Greendale Students Protest Racial Bullying At High School

GREENDALE, WI — A group of African-American students at Greendale High School say they feel neither safe nor supported by teachers and staff amid instances of what they say is racially-motivated bullying in the school.

Chanese Knox, a 16-year-old Greendale High School studen, and one of the 23 African-American students currently enrolled in the school, says she was suspended in September after verbally confronting a classmate who referred to her by a racial slur on two separate days in September.

In a press conference held in front of the school Monday, Diannia Merriett, Knox's mother, said her daughter — a member of the school's swim and track teams and a Girl Scout who helped build a food pantry down the street at a local church — has never had any behavioral problems before.

"They called the cops on her, they took away her homecoming, and no parent should have to go through this," Merriett said. "There was no psychologist, no counselor and the school has done nothing to help keep her safe."

Merriett continued: "They said that her reaction was disorderly conduct. She yelled, raised her voice. What is she supposed to do when someone comes to her more than once saying fight-provoking words? She stood up for herself, and no physical conduct took place at all."

Knox said she wants her suspension overturned immediately, saying that she missed homecoming and two swim meets. "They left me in a room with two police officers. That's not normal," she said.

The student said her efforts to talk to school officials about the racial climate in the hallways and classrooms hasn't borne any fruit.

"Each time, they tell me 'we'll handle it, we're doing the best that we can, we'll get to it, or walk away,' and it's not just me that's going through this situation. It's pretty much everybody here. It's OK to talk about it, it's okay to use your voice to say what you need to say."

Greendale High School senior Symone McLain said that Knox's encounter is just one of many problems faced by African-American students — and isn't getting the support they need.

"I'm a senior here, and have been for years telling the superintendent and the school that we hear this [slur] all the time, every day. They refuse to do something about it, and so when we react to it, we're wrong, and when we tell people not to say it, we're wrong," McClain said Monday. "They think that when we get angry, we're the problem. The problem is that you as a school don't want to help us, and that's unfair, because we can't walk down the hallway every day without someone saying a racial slur."

State Sen. Lena Taylor, a Milwaukee Democrat, attended Monday's gathering.

“I encourage others to attend and listen to what they have to say. Given the current climate of our nation, tenor and tone of our social interactions, and increasing racial polarization, we need to do everything within our power to help our students not repeat the divisive mistakes of our nation’s past," Taylor said.

In a statement to Greendale Patch, district Superintendent Gary Kiltz said the school would not release details about Knox' interaction with the other student based on privacy laws; however, he did say that school officials are trying to work with Knox and Merriett to make sure she feels safe at school.

"While not perfect, we are working to improve. The District is embracing this community conversation around race and use this as a learning opportunity for ourselves, our students, and our community," Kiltz wrote.

Merriett said that marches will continue every Monday until the racial climate improves and Knox's suspension is overturned.

Throughout 2018, Patch is looking at society's roles and responsibilities in bullying and a child's unthinkable decision to end their own life in hopes we might offer solutions that save lives.

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Lead photo: Patch file photo